Unintended
by literarylolita
Summary: "You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended; you could be the one I'll always love."  Eli and Clare.  A hammock.  One-shot.  Read?


**A/N: Okay, this IS a songfic and a one-shot. I know people sometimes don't read the lyrics, but they are fairly crucial to this story. Please review and let me know what you think**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or "Unintended" by Muse.**

_**You could be my unintended**_

_**Choice to live my life extended**_

_**You could be the one I'll always love**_

I softly smile down at the sleepy girl in my arms. It has been a tedious day: setting up the party, cleaning the damn ruins so there was a location for said celebration, lugging food and drinks into my favorite spot Clare and I share, ect. She worked swiftly by my side, never complaining, just grinning madly at Adam's hopeless romanticism. The guy is REALLY making me look bad. That being said, I hope he's okay; it was pretty shitty of Fiona to just not show up. Machismo put a lot of effort into this extravagant "New York" party for who he calls his "New York Princess".

Oh well, it was worth it for me because a beautiful girl I can call mine is snuggling closer to me.

"The stars are out tonight," she notes in a soft voice.

I smirk. "What's your wish?"

"If I say it out loud, it won't come true," Clare softly retorts.

_**You could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions**_

_**You could be the one I'll always love**_

This should be "the moment" I tell her I love her. I DO love her, after all. I knew for certain the day she learned my darkest secret and held my shaking hands despite of it, but…despite everything she's done for me and how much I care for her, I'm just not ready to say what she wants to hear.

I settle for a truth nearly as romantic as those three syllables: "How cheesy would it be if I said mine…already has?"

She smirks and settles deeper into the crook of my arm. The scent of her hair washes over me, overwhelming every sense with whiffs of vanilla and cinnamon, the scent of _Clare._

I wish I could tell her. Seriously: the candles, hammock, bright, shiny stars…not even one of those moronic chick flicks Clare makes me watch could hold a candle to this romantic setting. However, while I may be ready to be in a relationship, I have not quite _forgotten_ Julia.

_**I'll be there as soon as I can**_

_**But I'm busy mending the pieces of the life I had before**_

She really broke me. Before her death broke my heart, her actions ripped my soul to pieces. I loved her as much as a fifteen-year old boy could manage to love someone, and she took advantage of every ounce of adoration. Couldn't afford those new legwarmers? She would "borrow" the money from me but forget to pay me back. Liked my new band tee? She'd put it on when she slept over and wear it home, and I'd never see it again. She KNEW I'd let her have her way; one smile from her pouty lips coupled with batting eyelashes and I was clay, molded into her liking.

When we didn't agree on something, she became ruthless. Once we started sleeping together, she withheld sex until I caved and said what she wanted to hear: "You're right, Julia."

I loved her so much, but she never believed in me. "You want to be a WRITER, Eli? How is THAT realistic? How will that put food on our table?"

Clare supports me. She sees my talent. Julia could hardly be bothered to read any damned sentence I'd write.

_**First there was the one who challenged**_

_**All my dreams and all my balance**_

_**She could never be as good as you**_

Clare and I express admiration and worry for our mutual best friend; the party shows no signs of winding down, and I am just fine with that. Clare planns to sleep over at Alli's, whose parents are out of town. We have all the time in the world (or at least the night).

"Hey," I whisper. I don't want to ask, but I know I probably should: "Do you need to be getting to Alli's?"

"Well," Clare blushes. "Actually, she texted me an hour ago to tell me she was going to bed. I just…" she looks down and her voice becomes very quiet. "I wasn't quite ready to leave you yet."

When she says things like that, words such as "forever" and "perfect" fly across my brain like shooting stars. Because the girl in my arms has turned me into a complete and total sap, I go ahead and wish on these thoughts.

I chuckle. "Well, Sav is here. Do you think you could get a ride with him?"

She hesitates before looking up at me, her cheek pressed tightly against my chest. "Do you think I could stay with you?" The question is laced with a tone of fear.

I freeze. I'd love to fall asleep with Clare in my arms; it's my favorite place for her to be, but my room isn't exactly spotless. Plus, what if she tries to get me to do something neither of us is ready for again? I am a man, after all. I can only manage to muster up so much resistance.

"Eli?" she asks after a moment of my silence.

"I don't think it's such a good idea, Babe." I kiss her temple to soften the blow.

"Please?" Her eyes are huge, and oh God, I think they're filling with tears. "We can just sleep."

I smile. "Just sleep, huh?"

She blushes and grins. "Well, maybe we can cuddle a little bit too."

"Just like this?" I squeeze her waist.

"Yeah," she kisses me cheek, "just like this."

I let out a sigh, knowing she's won. "Alright. You can stay with me."

_**Later**_

I pull Morty into my driveway and kill the ignition. Clare yawns, and I soon join in; it's nearly three in the morning. She places her hand on mine and smiles.

"Um, Clare," I cough, "You should know, my room…I've cleaned a LITTLE since you were over last-"

"You cleaned without me?" A huge grin decorates her face.

"Well, yeah, a bit."

"Eli, that's great!" She throws her arms around my neck and I pull her close. "I'm so proud of you."

"It's by no means perfect, so if you want to sleep on the couch-" She cuts me off with a kiss.

"Eli, it's perfectly fine. Can we go inside now?"

I smirk and make my way around Morty to open her door.

_**You could be my unintended**_

_**Choice to live my life extended**_

_**You could be the one I'll always love**_

I smile from my bed when Clare enters from the hallway. She's changed into a pair of my sweats and an old Blink 182 shirt. I laugh at my sweet, colorful girlfriend completely dressed in black.

"What's so funny?" She pouts.

"Nothing, DEAR." I open my arms. She crawls under the covers and snuggles in close to my bare chest (sleeping in shirts has never been my thing). I turn off the light and feel incredibly light.

"Eli?" Clare asks as she takes my hand and interlaces our fingers.

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to tell you something earlier."

She sounds nervous, and I freeze.

"Eli, I…I love you." The sentence is the softest of decrescendos, and I can't help but adore her even more.

_**I'll be there as soon as I can**_

_**But I'm busy mending the pieces of the life I had before**_

_**Before you**_

I say nothing for a few moments and feel her tense in my arms. Suddenly, I can't hold it in any longer and decide to rid my heart a bit more of the dreadful past.

Kissing her lips, I whisper against them: "I love you too."

Her mouth widens into that full grin I like to think is reserved just for me. "I wished for you to say it back."

She kisses me one more time before succumbing to sleep.

I grin, confident Clare will never treat me like complete and total garbage.

She deserves so much more than me.

Yet here she is, content in my embrace, smiling in a soft sort of joy while she sleeps.

The most unintended thing in my life is shaping up to be the best.

**A/N: So…fail? Win? I've never been one for 1st****person POVs but I wanted to give it a shot. I don't know if Julia was like this, obviously, but this song just fits Eli so well, in my opinion. I might post a sequel to this. Review!**


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